The World Wide Fund for Nature, accused by news media outlet Buzzfeed of funding anti-poaching paramilitary groups that kill and torture people in the fight to save wildlife, says it will take “swift action” if its own investigation finds the allegations to be true. The response followed a Buzzfeed story…
South Africa has issued the latest appeal to the international community to lift longstanding sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in order to alleviate pressures contributing to its economic and political crises. “Zimbabwe has been going through a challenging socioeconomic situation, which has inadvertently had an impact on South Africa. We have…
A sharply divided United Nations Security Council discussed the political crisis in Venezuela during an emergency meeting called by the United States on Saturday, with the council’s African members pressing for a national dialogue and respect for Venezuelan sovereignty rather than the forced removal of President Nicolás Maduro. The contentious…
This isn’t the first time that Zimbabwe’s Pastor Evan Mawarire has been arrested. It’s not even the first time he’s been arrested for leading an economic protest because of gas prices and fuel shortages. Even as he appeared in court yet again Thursday morning in Harare, it’s clear that the…
President Adama Barrow of The Gambia welcomed on Monday the start of hearings by the country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), formed to explore human rights violations that occurred during the 22-year rule of former dictator Yahya Jammeh. “As a key pillar of the transitional justice program of the…
Congolese opposition politicians are crying foul after a national electoral commission (CENI) decision announced Wednesday that will exclude three large cities and some 1.2 million voters from Sunday’s elections, on the grounds that the Ebola outbreak and community violence pose too much risk. CENI said that Beni, Butembo and Yumbi…
The Nigerian people were cheated out of an estimated USD$6 billion when a 2011 oil rights deal enriched its own officials but really benefited two international oil majors – Royal Dutch Shell and the Italian Eni – instead of Nigeria, according to a report released Monday by London-based NGO Global…
After weeks of investigation into the October 2 death of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, the United States said Tuesday that it stands by its relationship with Riyadh – a move that critics say gives a green light to repressive, authoritarian governments in Africa and across the globe….
A group of seven Congolese political opposition leaders announced their decision for a presidential candidate on Sunday, choosing Martin Fayulu of the Engagement for Citizenship and Development (ECiDé) party to face President Joseph Kabila’s own choice in the December 23 election. With the long-delayed date looming in Democratic Republic of Congo,…
A key climate report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released Monday warns that the global community must act decisively and dramatically to try and limit catastrophic impacts from climate change – and that some impacts remain unavoidable even if global warming is held to the 1.5°C level….
Ugandan musician Bobi Wine – an opposition MP whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi – is now in the United States after leaving from Entebbe Airport about midnight Friday. “Safely arrived in the U.S. where I’ll be receiving specialized treatment following the brutal torture at the hands of SFC soldiers,”…
It was only Wednesday that President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking to South Africa’s National Assembly, answered lawmakers’ questions about land reform and distribution. He spoke of the need to heal the historical wounds of land dispossession familiar to South Africans of all races, and again confirmed that land expropriation – when…
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been declared the victor in Zimbabwe’s presidential election, after results released late Thursday showed him with 50.8 of the votes – just enough above the required threshold to avoid a September 8 runoff. Mnangagwa received 2,460,463 votes compared with challenger Nelson Chamisa, the MDC Alliance candidate who received 2,147,436…
It was June 14 when officials in Mayotte opened up a psychological support services unit, designed to help residents deal with the stress of hundreds of earthquakes they’ve experienced as part of the ongoing seismic activity the Indian Ocean island nation has endured for weeks. The situation has “caused concerned…
The annual World Drug Report was released Tuesday, and it points to continued Tramadol use and trafficking across central and western Africa as one of the most significant international problems. “We need to raise the alarm about addiction to Tramadol, rates of which are soaring in parts of Africa,” said the…